el_hop87

Thanks so much, all sorted now!

Hello I am trying to download the latest firmware for my az gti on my windows laptop, however I can’t open the MCF file to do this. Does anyone have any suggestions please? Thank you

Thanks for your help everyone, much appreciated! I think I was leaning more towards the ASIAIR mini as I’m not that tech savvy and this sounds the most straight forward/ user friendly option… planning to get second hand to keep it more affordable.

Hey everyone, Happy Christmas! I was hoping to ask for some advice on a potential set up if that’s ok please. I have a Nikon D800 (full frame), Skywatcher AZ GTi, Skywatcher 72ED and am planning to add a guiding set up - I was thinking ZWO miniscope 30mm f/4, ZWO ASI120mm and Asiair Mini. Do you think this would work ok and does anyone have any experience using this set up? Many thanks in advance! Elly

Thank you Steve- thats kind of you to say. Its a steep learning curve but really loving the experience so far. Thank you for all your help! Elly

Many thanks for this - yes, its a great idea to practice on available data, I need to do lots more of this! I'm afraid 60 second exposures are the longest I can get with my current set up (even then I was beginning to get star trails)- I think that guiding would help, once I have the budget for it. It was a moonless night, but light pollution is a factor as I live in a Bortle 6 city. Software I am using is Deep Sky Stacker, Star Tools and final edits in Photoshop and Lightroom. Many thanks again for your help!

Hi Adrian, Thank you very much for reply! - this is really useful. I know what you mean re the stars, good to make things look as natural as possible. I hadn't realised about the star spikes being a result of a reflector, I thought they were developed in post processing (not as a new superficial creation, but as a development of existing stars in the image) - your edit is brilliant, and the large stars look much better than in mine and more detail/ shape on the horse head itself. Can I ask which processing software you used please? Thanks Elly

Hi I have still got a lot to learn with post processing and was wondering if anyone could advise on how to create the "twinkle" on large stars in images please. I am editing my Horsehead Nebula shot but the large stars look blown out rather then sharp and the typical 4 spike twinkle that you see in some image. Please see below link to my current file, and the original file to this post - if anyone could help with this particular issue as well as any other suggestions on how I could improve, that would be very much appreciated! : - Image so far: https://www.dropbox.com/s/9vqn9babg1ff5 ... 3.jpg?dl=0 - Original stacked fits file: https://www.dropbox.com/s/oknlpjw92uv35 ... e.fts?dl=0 For info I used a Nikon 5200, SW AZ GTI, SW Evostar 72ED and IDAS P2 filter - 1.5 hours of data at 60' subs, stacked image (DSS) is lights, darks, flats and bias. Many thanks in advance, Elly Top

Thank you all, thats really helpful! - always feel like I'm learning loads on here.

This is what I have after another edit- not very happy with the detail, but can't tell if its my post processing skills or the quality of images....

Thank you everyone! I'm using a Nikon D5200, AZ GTI, SW Evostar 72ED, IDAS light pollution filter. 25 second subs, for a total of 1 hour 13 mins +10 Darks.

Oh wow, thank you, I have just seen your 2nd image - much better. I will keep trying myself to bring out the details.

Thank you JSeaman! - I suspected the moonlight was a problem. Do you think there is anyway of rescuing the image or at least making the nebula stand out? Thanks again for your help.

Hello both, Thank you for your replies- this is a jpeg file of the same stacked image (unprocessed). Many thanks again Elly

Hi all, I have stacked images in DSS (lights and dark) of the Horse Head Nebula, which I am now trying to process in StarTools. So far I can make out the Horse Head but the colours are v pixelated. I am very much learning post processing skills atm, and still a long way to go! - These images were taken when the moon was 60% so it could be that I am having issues with light. If anyone is able to help with advice, that would be much appreciated! - I have attached the stacked FITS file in case its easier to look for yourself. Thank you very much! Elly Horsehead nebula_00001.fit

Also, just to add- I did a 45% bin at the start of the process originally, and not a 25% bin - this seemed to help in the end too.

Thank you both very much! - that is a useful article re compatibility with StarTools. Alacant- I think the main issue was the file I was trying to edit, didn't seem v compatible with StarTools. The other issue was not quite understanding the sliding settings, so following your video I gained understanding on the changes these can make (still need to build this understanding!) Thank you again, and for taking the time to teach me! - v grateful. Elly

Alacant- I cannot thank you enough!!! This video is wonderful and I have now followed every step. I have the trial version of StarTools so was not able to properly save my image, but managed to screen shot the attached. I will definitely purchase StarTools as I find it easier to do the first part of processing following DSS, in here and then move on to photoshop/lightroom for final edits. THANK YOU so much again, really is invaluable help and hopefully i'll be able to follow this framework going forward with other images.

Hi all Thanks for your help. Please find the converted fits file attached. Alacant- in the original file, I just uploaded the TIFF file straight from DSS, and someone also requested a JPEG file- I myself hadn't converted any further files at this point. As you did such a good processing of the original image using StarTools, I then downloaded the trial version and tried to follow the steps in the quick guide and on online youtube vids I could find. I converted the original TIFF file to FITs using Siril. These were the general steps I followed: auto dev-- crop-- bin-- wipe-- auto dev- colour module. As I am knew to StarTools I tended just to stick to the automatic adjustments the software made after I pressed each module, and so didn't make many manual adjustments. The image was black and white at first, then in the colour module it turned to the colours noted above. Thanks Elly RN fits.fit

At the moment when I follow the process in StarTools using the file I have, and then get the colour module is looks really odd like the image attached shows- no where near the look of the image you create when you processed the original file! I imagine that maybe to do with the tiff/fits file issue?...

Thank you for this! - how did you convert the tiff file to fits format please? - the option doesn't seem to come up when I go to resave it.

Hi, I asked how to process stacked images of the Rosette Nebula in this forum recently and received v useful advice and support - members even attempted to process my image to demonstrate what could be done. One member used StarTools to process the image and I have attached the result to this message - I tried to copy the process they used in StarTools and I seem to be experiencing issues with colour, please see my image attached also. I had previously followed the programme to complete auto dev---crop---bin---wipe etc. I have watched several youtube vids but the same colour issue remains. Any help would be much appreciated as I would love to be able to process my images properly and to the extent that this kind member has. Many thanks Elly

LordLoki- thank you! that is a great result and thank you for listed the steps you took, much appreciated! Alcant - did you have to change the TIFF file I attached to use it with StarTools - for some reason it wont let me open the TIFF. Thanks Elly

@alacant - brilliant, thanks, I will give this a go!

Thank you Carole, that is brilliant! - can't believe its the same image! Almcl- thank you again, I have never used StarTools so will try to learn this! The issue seems to be my lack of post processing skills which I will work on next! Thanks for being such a supportive forum and for all your help, really pleased that I posted in here.